English Grammar Handouts - Adjectives Explained

English Grammar Handouts - Adjectives
Adjectives
What is an adjective?
Adjectives are words that describe or modify other words, making your writing and speaking much
more specific, and a whole lot more interesting. Words like small, blue, and sharp are descriptive,
and they are all examples of adjectives. Because adjectives are used to identify or quantify individual
people and unique things, they are usually positioned before the noun or pronoun that they modify.
Some sentences contain multiple adjectives.
Adjective Examples
In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:
1. They live in a big, beautiful

2. Since it’s a hot day, Lisa is wearing a sleeveless
3. The mountaintops are covered in sparkling
4. On her birthday, Brenda received an antique vase filled with fragrant
Examples of adjectives
Typical adjective endings
1. They live in a beautiful house.
2. Lisa is wearing a sleeveless shirt today. This soup is not edible.
3. She wore a beautiful dress.
4. He writes meaningless letters.
5. This shop is much nicer.
6. She wore a beautiful dress.
7. Ben is an adorable baby.
8. Linda’s hair is gorgeous.
V V N A BHARGAVI Page | 1
9. This glass is breakable.

10. I met a homeless person in NY.
Types of Adjectives
Remember that adjectives can modify as well as describe other words, and you’ll find it much easier
to identify different types of adjectives when you see them.
Articles
There are only three articles, and all of them are adjectives: a, an, and the. Because they are used to
discuss non-specific things and people, a and an are called indefinite articles. For example:
 I’d like a
 Let’s go on an
Neither one of these sentences names a specific banana or a certain adventure. Without more
clarification, any banana or adventure will do.
The word the is called the definite article. It’s the only definite article, and it is used to indicate very
specific people or things:
 Please give me a banana. I’d like the one with the green stem.
 Let’s go on an adventure. The Grand Canyon mule ride sounds perfect!
Possessive Adjectives
As the name indicates, possessive adjectives are used to indicate possession. They are:
 My
 Your
 His
 Her
 Its
 Our
 Their
Possessive adjectives also function as possessive pronouns.
Demonstrative Adjectives
Like the article the, demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate or demonstrate specific people,
animals, or things. These, those, this and that are demonstrative adjectives.
 These books belong on that

 This movie is my favorite.
 Please put those cookies on the blue plate.
Coordinate Adjectives
Coordinate adjectives are separated with commas or the word and, and appear one after another to
modify the same noun. The adjectives in the phrase bright, sunny day and long and dark night are
coordinate adjectives. In phrases with more than two coordinate adjectives, the word and always
appears before the last one; for example: The sign had big, bold, and bright letters.
Be careful, because some adjectives that appear in a series are not coordinate. In the phrase green
delivery truck, the words green and delivery are not separated by a comma because green modifies
the phrase delivery truck. To eliminate confusion when determining whether a pair or group of
adjectives is coordinate, just insert the word and between them. If and works, then the adjectives are
coordinate and need to be separated with a comma.
Numbers Adjectives
When they’re used in sentences, numbers are almost always adjectives. You can tell that a number is
an adjective when it answers the question “How many?”
 The stagecoach was pulled by a team of six

 He ate 23 hotdogs during the contest, and was sick afterwards.
Interrogative Adjectives
There are three interrogative adjectives: which, what, and whose. Like all other types of adjectives,
interrogative adjectives modify nouns. As you probably know, all three of these words are used to
ask questions.
 Which option sounds best to you?
 What time should we go?

 Whose socks are those?
Indefinite Adjectives
Like the articles a and an, indefinite adjectives are used to discuss non-specific things. You might
recognize them, since they’re formed from indefinite pronouns. The most common indefinite
adjectives are any, many, no, several, and few.
 Do we have any peanut butter?

 Grandfather has been retired for many
 There are no bananas in the fruit bowl.
 I usually read the first few pages of a book before I buy it.
 We looked at several cars before deciding on the best one for our family.
Attributive Adjectives
Attributive adjectives talk about specific traits, qualities, or features – in other words, they are used to
discuss attributes. There are different kinds of attributive adjectives:
 Observation adjectives such as real, perfect, best, interesting, beautiful or cheapest can indicate value
or talk about subjective measures.
 Size and shape adjectives talk about measurable, objective qualities including specific physical
properties. Some examples include small, large, square, round, poor, wealthy, slow and
 Age adjectives denote specific ages in numbers, as well as general ages. Examples are old, young,
new, five-year-old, and
 Color adjectives are exactly what they sound like – they’re adjectives that indicate color. Examples
include pink, yellow, blue, and
 Origin adjectives indicate the source of the noun, whether it’s a person, place, animal or thing.
Examples include American, Canadian, Mexican, French.
 Material adjectives denote what something is made of. Some examples include cotton, gold,
wool, and
 Qualifier adjectives are often regarded as part of a noun. They make nouns more specific; examples
include log cabin, luxury car, and pillow cover.
Adjective Exercises
Find the adjective or adjectives that fit in each of the blanks best.
1. We visited the museum, where we saw ____________ artifacts.

A. A lot of
B. Ancient
C. John’s
D. A room filled with
2. I received ______________ awards at the ceremony today.
A. The manager’s
B. Two
C. Information about
D. Motivation at the
3. Please get me a bag of ____________ apples.
A. Interesting
B. Ripe red
C. Oranges and
D. Real
4. The president sat in a _______________ chair.
A. Important
B. Barber’s
C. Funny
D. Leather
5. ________________ weather is the norm in San Francisco.
A. Blue
B. Big
C. Foggy
D. The best
Answer Key:
1. A – We visited the museum, where we saw ancient artifacts.

2. B – I received two awards at the ceremony today.
3. B – Please get me a bag of ripe red apples.
4. D – The president sat in a leather chair.
5. C – Foggy weather is the norm in San Francisco.
Adjective exercises
much vs many
Decide whether you have to use much or many:
1. We saw _____ animals at the zoo.

2. How _____ oranges did you put in the box?
3. There isn’t _____ sugar in my coffee.
4. I don’t have ______ friends.
5. The old man hasn’t got _____ hair on his head.
6. I’ve packed _____ bottles of water.
7. I didn’t get _____ sleep last night.
8. How _____ fruit do you eat in an average day?
Answers:
1. many
2. many
3. much
4. many
5. much
6. many
7. much
8. much
a little vs a few
Decide whether you have to use a little or a few:
1. Can you please buy _______ apples.

2. We need _______ water.
3. I have _______ money left.s
4. I take _______ sugar with my coffee.
5. We had _______ pints of beer there.
6. You have _______ time left.
7. There are _______ chairs in the room.
8. He only spent _______ dollars there.
Answers:
1. a few
2. a little
3. a little
4. a little
5. a few
6. a little
7. a few
8. a few
some vs any
Decide whether you have to use some or any:
1. Is there _______ milk left?

2. There is _______ juice in the bottle.
3. Do you have _______ coffee?
4. I don’t have _______ money left.
5. She has _______ money.
6. Do you know _______ of these singers?

7. I don’t know _______ of them.
8. I know _______ of them.
Answers:
1. any
2. some
3. any
4. any
5. some
6. any
7. any
8. some
some vs many
Decide whether you have to use some or many:
1. The child put _______ sand into the bucket.

2. I can lend you _______ money if you need it.
3. There aren’t _______ pears left. Only two.
4. We had _______ cake with the tea.
5. Don’t eat so _______ sweets or you’ll get fat.
6. I had _______ beer last night at the bar.
7. I don’t have _______ friends.
8. He brought _______ food with him.
Answers:
1. some
2. some
3. many
4. some
5. many
6. some
7. many
8. some
little vs less
Decide whether you have to use little or less:
1. I have _______ interest in classical music.

2. I have _______ faith in him.
3. We need _______ furniture in this dance hall than in the big one.
4. You have to drink _______ coffee.
5. He has _______ money than I thought.
6. Tonight I drank _______ wine than last night.
7. She dedicates _______ time to her homework than to her hobbies.
8. This will take _______ time to finish than the last time we tried.
Answers:
1. little
2. little
3. less
4. less
5. less
6. less
7. less
8. less
a little vs a lot
Decide whether you have to use a little or a lot:
1. That may cost you _______ of money.

2. I added _______ sugar to the mix.
3. You’ll have to spend _______ of cash on this car. (a lot)
4. I can do it with _______ help from my friends.
5. _______ change can really make a difference.
6. I don’t have _______ of free time today.
7. He left _______ of laundry for me to do.
8. She gave him _______ attention.
Answers:
1. a lot
2. a little
3. a lot
4. a little
5. a little
6. a lot
7. a lot
8. a little
few vs little
Decide whether you have to use few or little:
1. There’s _______ point in calling.

2. _______ people understood what he said.
3. There is _______ use in trying to do this.
4. There’s _______ space here as it is.
5. There’s _______ I can do about this.
6. Dan is a great student. He has _______ problems with history.
7. There was _______ traffic on the road.
8. I think Coventry will win the match but _______ people agree with me.
Answers:
1. little
2. few
3. little
4. little
5. little
6. few
7. little
8. few
fewer vs less
Decide whether you have to use fewer or less:
1. There were _______ days below freezing last winter.

2. I drank _______ water than she did.
3. I have _______ than an hour to do this work.
4. People these days are buying _______ newspapers.
5. I have _______ time to do this work.
6. _______ than thirty children each year develop the disease.
7. I wear _______ makeup on weekdays.
8. He worked _______ hours than I did.
Answers:
1. fewer
2. less
3. less
4. fewer
5. less
6. fewer
7. less
8. fewer
farther vs further
Decide whether you have to use farther or further:
1. How much _______ do you plan to drive tonight?

2. I just can’t go any _______.
3. Do you have any _______ plans for adding on to the building?
4. That’s a lot _______ than I want to carry this heavy suitcase!
5. The _______ that I travel down this road, the _______ behind schedule I get.
6. How much _______ do you intend to take this legal matter?
7. It’s not that much _______ to the gas station.
8. How much _______ do I have to run, coach?
Answers:
1. farther
2. further
3. further
4. farther
5. farther, further
6. further
7. farther
8. farther
later vs latter
Decide whether you have to use later or latter:
1. My neighbours have a son and a daughter : the former is a teacher, the _______ is a nurse.
2. I will address that at a _______ time.
3. Of the first two Harry Potter books, I prefer the _______.

4. John arrived at the party _______ than Mary did.
5. I prefer the _______ offer to the former one.
6. I will be back _______.
7. I was given the choice between a hamburger or a hotdog, I chose the _______ of the two; the
hotdog.
8. When it comes to soy burgers or a juicy cow burger, I prefer the _______.
Answers:
1. latter
2. later
3. latter
4. later
5. latter
6. later
7. latter
8. latter
last vs latter
Decide whether you have to use last or latter:
1. Jack, Jill and Bob went up the hill; the _______ watched the other two fall down.
2. The former half of the film is more interesting than the _______ half.
3. Out of chapters 1, 2, and 3, the _______ one is the most difficult to learn.
4. Dan is now friends with Ruth, Maya and Ben. The _______ is his cousin.
5. Jane speaks Italian and English : the former language fairly well and the _______ fluently.
6. There are two versions, A and B, but the _______ is more popular.
7. Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the _______ is remembered today.
8. I study math, English and history. I enjoy the _______ one most.
Answers:
1. last
2. latter
3. last
4. last
5. latter
6. latter
7. latter
8. last
More Adjective Exercises

1. Form adjectives from the following nouns:
A. water
B. ice
C. syrup
Answers:
A. Watery
B. Icy
C. Syrupy
2.Form adjectives from the following verbs:
A. walk
B. amaze
C. decay
Answers:
A. walking
B. amazing
C. decaying
3.Which of the following sentences contains a proper denominal adjective?
A. People in New York are usually busy.

B. New York residents are often busy.
A. We had fun listening to classic French music.

B. Music by the French is fun to listen to.
A. He speaks Russian.
B. He speaks the Russian language.
Answers: B,A,B
4.Choose the superlative adjective in each group of sentences:
A. I like dark coffee.

B. This is the fastest car I’ve ever driven.
C. I’d like darker curtains.
A. This is good ice cream.

B. Meet Sue, my younger sister.
C. Of all the options available, this seems to be the best one.
A. This is a better play than the last one.

B. The box was blue, and oddly shaped.
C. This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever experienced!
Answers: B, C, C
5. Choose the absolute adjective in each group of sentences:
A. We live in a blue house.

B. The grass is greener on the other side.
C. This is the shortest my hair has ever been.
A. That’s a short dress.

B. Why don’t you choose a longer style?
C. Just because it’s the shortest dress doesn’t mean it’s the most stylish.
A. Our house is bigger than our grandmother’s is.

B. They live in the biggest house I’ve ever seen.
C. That’s a big house!
Answers: A, A, C
6. Choose the adjective from each of the following groups of words:
A. interest, interesting, party

B. amount, colorful, medicine
C. fur, hilarious, cup
Answers:
A. interesting
B. colorful
C. hilarious
7. Fill in the blanks with the best compound adjective for the situation.
A. With ______________ temperatures, this is the coldest winter on record.

 below zero
 below-zero
 freezing
B. Jeremy gave Linda a _____________________ engagement ring.
 gorgeous diamond
 gorgeous-diamond
 big
C. We’re celebrating with a __________________ bottle of champagne.
 costly
 ten-year-old
 10 year old
Answers:
A. below-zero
B. gorgeous diamond
C. ten-year-old
8. Choose the sentence containing the denominal adjective:
A. We practiced for the play.

B. We spent two hours practicing the Shakespearean play.
C. We practiced Shakespeare’s play for two hours.
Answer: B. We spent two hour practicing the Shakespearean play.
9. Choose the comparative adjective in each group of sentences:
A. This list is longer than the last one.

B. This is probably the longest one I’ve ever seen.
C. This is a long list.
A. Stop acting so weird.

B. You’re acting weirder than ever.
C. You’re the weirdest person in this class.
A. This is the chocolatiest cake I’ve ever tasted.

B. Have some chocolate cake.
C. Do you think this cake tastes chocolatier than the last one?
Answers: A, B, C
10. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. His grandfather lives in the ________________________ house down the street.

 big old yellow
 yellow old big
 old big yellow
B. The shop offers all kinds of _____________________ objects.
 interesting old antique
 old antique interesting
 old interesting antique
C. We went for a long walk on a __________________________ trail.

 Beautiful new 5-mile
 New, beautiful 5-mile
 5-mile new, beautiful
Answers:
A. big old yellow

B. interesting old antique
C. beautiful new 5-mile
11. A, B, or C? Which phrase contains the denominal adjective?
A. open door
B. fun time
C. Parmesan flavor
Answer: C
12. Some compound adjective contain hyphens. Which of the following sentences is correct?
A. He’s a decent-judge of character.

B. She submitted a 190-page document supporting her position.
C. We’re adopting a two year old parakeet.
Answer: B
13. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. We took a ride on a red, new, Italian motorbike.

B. We took a ride on an Italian, new, red motorbike.
C. We took a ride on a new red Italian motorbike.
Answer: C
14. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. I was thrilled to receive a __________________ book with my order.

 big, beautiful, leather-bound
 leather-bound, big, beautiful
 beautiful big leather-bound

B. His clown costume consists of a red nose, oversized shoes, and a ________________ jacket.
 Size 4X polka-dotted silk smoking
 polka-dotted silk smoking size 4X
 polka dotted size 4x silk smoking
C. I’ve been shopping for the perfect _______________ chopsticks.
 Japanese long sushi
 long Japanese sushi
 long sushi Japanese
Answers:
A. beautiful big leather-bound

B. size 4x polka-dotted silk smoking
C. long Japanese sushi
15. From each group, choose the sentence containing the correct compound adjective.
A. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12 hour days lately.

B. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12-hour days lately.
C. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12-hour-days lately.
A. Jim prefers spicy, Caribbean-style food.

B. Jim likes Caribbean foods with lots of spice.
C. Jim’s favorite foods are spicy ones with Caribbean flavors.
A. He’s grown two inches since last time we saw him.

B. He’s grown by a whole two inches since we last saw him.
C. He’s had a two-inch growth spurt since last time we saw him.
Answers: B, A, C

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English Grammar Handouts - Adjectives

1. They live in a big, beautiful

9. This glass is breakable.

Possessive adjectives also function as possessive pronouns.

 These books belong on that

 The stagecoach was pulled by a team of six

 Which option sounds best to you?

 What time should we go?

 Do we have any peanut butter?

1. We visited the museum, where we saw ____________ artifacts.

1. A – We visited the museum, where we saw ancient artifacts.

1. We saw _____ animals at the zoo.

1. Can you please buy _______ apples.

1. Is there _______ milk left?

6. Do you know _______ of these singers?

1. The child put _______ sand into the bucket.

1. I have _______ interest in classical music.

1. That may cost you _______ of money.

1. There’s _______ point in calling.

1. There were _______ days below freezing last winter.

1. How much _______ do you plan to drive tonight?

3. Of the first two Harry Potter books, I prefer the _______.

More Adjective Exercises

3.Which of the following sentences contains a proper denominal adjective?

A. People in New York are usually busy.

A. We had fun listening to classic French music.

4.Choose the superlative adjective in each group of sentences:

A. I like dark coffee.

A. This is good ice cream.

A. This is a better play than the last one.

5. Choose the absolute adjective in each group of sentences:

A. We live in a blue house.

A. That’s a short dress.

A. Our house is bigger than our grandmother’s is.

6. Choose the adjective from each of the following groups of words:

A. interest, interesting, party

A. With ______________ temperatures, this is the coldest winter on record.

A. We practiced for the play.

9. Choose the comparative adjective in each group of sentences:

A. This list is longer than the last one.

A. Stop acting so weird.

A. This is the chocolatiest cake I’ve ever tasted.

A. His grandfather lives in the ________________________ house down the street.

C. We went for a long walk on a __________________________ trail.

A. big old yellow

A. He’s a decent-judge of character.

13. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?

A. We took a ride on a red, new, Italian motorbike.

A. I was thrilled to receive a __________________ book with my order.

 beautiful big leather-bound

A. beautiful big leather-bound

A. Jennifer is overworked. She has been putting in 12 hour days lately.

A. Jim prefers spicy, Caribbean-style food.

A. He’s grown two inches since last time we saw him.

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